MPG Office Trust Inc. has entered into an agreement with its joint venture partner at downtown L.A.’s One California Plaza and other properties that will enable the partner to sell its interest to a Boston private investment firm.

The Los Angeles Business Journal’s index of largest local public companies made strong gains for a third straight week as European leaders reached a tentative agreement to address the region’s debt crisis.

Optimism about the future among business owners and executives in Los Angeles County has plunged in the past eight months, according to a survey by the Los Angeles County Business Federation released Thursday.

Friday, October 21

A late-week rally on Wall Street, fueled by improving prospects to resolve the European debt crisis, helped the Los Angeles Business Journal’s index of largest local public companies make strong gains for a second straight week.

City National Corp. reported a 20 percent rise in third-quarter earnings. The results fell short of Wall Street expectations as Los Angeles County’s largest local bank took its first provision for loan losses this year.

Tuesday, October 18

The Natural Resources Defense Council is expected on Wednesday to announce a lawsuit against the two major railroads that operate in Los Angeles, alleging they produce harmful amounts of diesel pollution.

Monday, October 17

Struggling commercial brokerage Grubb & Ellis Co. said it reached a financing deal with a Texas private equity firm for additional funding, and is in negotiations with the firm regarding a “strategic transaction.”

Catholic hospital chain Providence Health & Services, Southern California is forming a partnership with its physicians that it hopes will enable them to better compete under federal health care reform.

Shares of Joe's Jeans Inc. fell 26 percent in after-hours trading Tuesday after the apparel manufacturer and retailer reported an unexpected loss for its fiscal third quarter on write-downs and lower wholesale revenue.

Special Report

Lawrence Braun was kept hopping this year when in one during one eight-week period he completed six M&amp;A transactions, completed a financing, signed a definitive sale agreement to sell a unit of a public company, signed a definitive purchase agreement to acquire a private company, signed a merger agreement to sell a private company to a public company, closed a bankruptcy acquisition, and signed five letters of intent to buy and sell various businesses.

Thursday, October 6

The Port of Los Angeles will not challenge a federal appeals court ruling that threw out a controversial part of the port’s Clean Truck Program so that the port can't force trucking companies to hire their drivers.

Streaming video service Hulu LLC has signed a deal with Spanish-language TV giant Univision Communication Inc. to carry hundreds of hours of novellas and other Univision shows on its site starting later this year.

Electro Rent Corp.’s profit jumped 63 percent in its fiscal first quarter as the Van Nuys seller and leaser of computers and other technology equipment saw more lease and rental business here and overseas.

Tuesday, October 4

Windes & McClaughry Accountancy Corp. of Long Beach has agreed to merge with Burr Pilger Mayer Inc. of San Francisco, creating what they say will be the largest California-based accounting and consulting firm by revenue.

Nasdaq warns CyberDefender of potential delisting.

Special Report: INNOVATION/TECH TRANFER

How do the brainstorms of university professors and grad students get turned into rainstorms of cash in the business world? This special section explains how technology transfer is accomplished at the three L.A. institutions best known for their prowess in obtaining patents and licenses, and for creating companies to commercialize their innovations.

Special Report: INNOVATION/ TECH TRANFER

When USC Stevens Institute for Innovation was created five years ago, it represented a change in the university’s approach to turning inventions into companies. Its role is to give students and professors more resources for developing new technologies and forming companies.

Special Report: INNOVATION/ TECH TRANFER

Caltech patents as many as 140 inventions every year, making it one of the most active filers in Los Angeles County. But the Pasadena research university has only been helping professors and students commercialize that technology for the past 16 years.

Attorney gave up his comedy career for a seat at the table with some of real estate’s biggest movers and shakers.

Special Report: INNOVATION/ TECH TRANFER

In the early years of UCLA’s Office of Intellectual Property, professors and donors were critical of the technology-transfer program. They said it failed to turn out successful startup companies and wasn’t doing enough to license its technology to local corporations.

Americhip can attach mini movies to paper ads and manuals.

Special Report: INNOVATION/ TECH TRANFER

UCLA Professor Aydogan Ozcan and his team at Microskia have invented a technology for a very small, light optical microscope suitable as an inexpensive attachment to a cell phone or a portable instrument.

COMMENT

Special Report: INNOVATION/TECH TRANFER

Cred.fm, developed at USC, is the game you play by sharing the music you love. A player recommends songs to others in the network and – if the recommendation is listened to – then she gets influence points.